Hello,I’m ashamed to say that despite my prior occupation as a Navy Radioman, 14 years ago, I really don’t remember enough to be of help to a friend of mine out in Thailand on a radio related issue that he’s having, and was hoping that you might be able to shed some light.

He’s currently uses an old, old transceiver that was given to him by a merchant marine several years ago…long story short, he’s looking to upgrade.

Almost all modern HF radios can be modified very easily to operate anywhere from 160-10 meters. Since these are not ham frequencies in Thailand, I'll assume your friend has Government approval. The Radio Amateur Society of Thailand would be his best source.

The difference is only firmware that allows the transmitter to operate on frequencies the U.S. version won't.

Better still, since it sounds like your friend's application is purely non-amateur, Icom has a "government" model of the IC-7800 they sell to embassies and such, and its transmitter frequencies are opened very widely. He should probably just buy that model.

Though he does have permission to operate on those freq's, he's really not using it for government applications. He's the head of a very small non-profit that is working to promote human rights in Burma. Because of the blockage of pretty much any and all information in and out of Burma, radio is a great resource for him.

Being that he's a small non-profit though, he really doesn't have much in the way of $$$, so this is SUBSTANTIAL investment for him. Beyond just the freq's that he needs to operate with, he also needs to push 200 watts. Any suggestions on another, less expensive radio that would serve his purposes?

<< Though he does have permission to operate on those freq's, he's really not using it for government applications. He's the head of a very small non-profit that is working to promote human rights in Burma. >>

Just a note of caution for your friend:

If he is going to be communicating _into_ Burma, he needs to be very careful. Burma is NOT friendly to folks communicating via radio to people in Burma, either point-to-point or broadcast. I gather from the frequencies involved and the 200w minimum that broadcasting is what he has in mind.

Lon - W3LKBaltimore, Maryland

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